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iMac 27" SSD Upgrade - Important Tip!

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mariuscmorar

macrumors newbie
Oct 26, 2009
10
0
vince82it said:
what about using one of these??

http://oc.adata.com.tw/1_product_detail.asp?pid=ASECZZZZBK

2 SSD in RAID 0 in a 3.5" case would be the best solution. 256GB x 2...
I'll go for this solution next year...
Click to expand...

I'm seriously thinking about this. Does anyone know how much faster will this be in Radid 0 than just one SSD. I also don't need that much space, so I'm thinking that 2x64 (128gb) would be enough. Is it worthed in terms of speed?

Also what would be the best ssd's to fit in this? Will any ssd fit?
 
S

sanjuvarma

macrumors member
Nov 11, 2009
85
0
F

flying-dutchman

macrumors newbie
Jul 28, 2009
7
0
Again, what about port multiplier...?

Hi, I'm thinking of using this for video editing.
Now to me, there's only one central issue: the lack of a fast external storage interface...
Like expresscard/34 on the Macbook pro - or perhaps in this case, just some sata / esata cable coming out somewhere.
That way, I can connect a four or five bay raid-5 enclosure and I'll have a superb editing station, even without paying loads of money for SSDs I don't need.

Now my questions: did anyone test this port multiplier option yet? And does anybody have an idea, what would be a suitable place to lead a cable out, without having to make holes in the case or similar?

Thanks, FD
 
C

Cockroach

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2006
267
15
London, UK
I wouldn't have thought the motherboard SATA connections would support port multipliers - I don't know of any that do. But how about removing the optical drive and having a SATA cable come out the slot? I guess you might need a specialist/custom plug to fit it through or connect it afterwards.
 
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flying-dutchman

macrumors newbie
Jul 28, 2009
7
0
Cockroach said:
I wouldn't have thought the motherboard SATA connections would support port multipliers - I don't know of any that do. But how about removing the optical drive and having a SATA cable come out the slot? I guess you might need a specialist/custom plug to fit it through or connect it afterwards.
Click to expand...

Are you (or is anyone else) sure about the lack of pm-support?
I'd find it better, if one could retain the optical drive - so in case anybody knows for sure, port multiplying is(n't) supported, that'd be a great help.

Maybe it's possible to have the cable come out, where the RAM is accessed, build some aluminum coverage which is similar to the original, only with a hole in it?

Cheers, FD
 
C

Cockroach

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2006
267
15
London, UK
Well I'm not taking my PMP out of my NAS to check if it works, I just find it highly unlikely. PMPs are slow at best anyway.

If I ever get mine, I'll have a look at what might be possible when I take it appart, but GbE is fast enough for my external requirements.
 
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sanjuvarma

macrumors member
Nov 11, 2009
85
0
Newegg has the Intel X25-M Mainstream G2 2.5" 160GB SATA Solid State Drive for $590 - $175 via promo code "BFPEEKSSD160" = $415 with free shipping.
 
ma2ha3

ma2ha3

macrumors regular
Mar 13, 2007
237
0
imac with ssd is so wrong.

mp with ssd and hdd is slightly possible. even that is not for some pro. because os x does not allow application to be on another hdd. so basically what tiny space you have left, is limiting the number of application you can store.

fw800 hdd for data but slower, but still, ssd limiting the amount of application you can store, and ssd is tiny.

it is new, taking it apart to install ssd also void the warrenty. which is also wrong.
 
53x12

53x12

macrumors 68000
Feb 16, 2009
1,544
4
ma2ha3 said:
it is new, taking it apart to install ssd also void the warrenty. which is also wrong.
Click to expand...


That is false, false, false. I'm not sure why people keep repeating something that is not true. It will not void your warranty. :rolleyes:
 
Z

zeigerpuppy

macrumors member
Oct 2, 2009
30
0
ma2ha3 said:
imac with ssd is so wrong.

mp with ssd and hdd is slightly possible. even that is not for some pro. because os x does not allow application to be on another hdd. so basically what tiny space you have left, is limiting the number of application you can store.

fw800 hdd for data but slower, but still, ssd limiting the amount of application you can store, and ssd is tiny.

it is new, taking it apart to install ssd also void the warrenty. which is also wrong.
Click to expand...

Actually OS X is quite happy having applications just about anywhere. Sometimes you may need to trick the OS a little, which is easily done by symlinking. I do this routinely on my laptop, even symlinking out files that I like to keep in a data partition, like the mail cache and some Libraries. I also keep a sparse volume on my ipod that I mount for infrequently used applications.
eg: to symlink to a directory
open terminal
cd /Applications
ln -s /Volumes/OTHER_DRIVE/Programs/MYPROGRAM

Using an SSD for a system/scratch disk is a great idea and will not void your warranty (in most sane countries) and there is plenty of space on a 120GB disk for apps and scratch, especially if you use my tip and move your home directory and other directories that tend to bloat over time to a slower drive.
The good news is that yu can always undo this later or change your symlinks.
Just watch out for partition formats... don't try moving files that OS X expects to be on HFS+ from HFS+ to MSFAT if you want things to work properly!
 
53x12

53x12

macrumors 68000
Feb 16, 2009
1,544
4
Ordered a Intel X-25 160gb and a 4gb memory kit yesterday and they should be arriving today. Will finally have a setup I have been dreaming of; SSD, 8gb memory, a beautiful monitor and a quad core cpu. Other than eventually upgrading to 16gb of ram in the future (when prices are better), not sure what else can make this setup even better.
 
M

mariuscmorar

macrumors newbie
Oct 26, 2009
10
0
53x12 said:
Ordered a Intel X-25 160gb and a 4gb memory kit yesterday and they should be arriving today. Will finally have a setup I have been dreaming of; SSD, 8gb memory, a beautiful monitor and a quad core cpu. Other than eventually upgrading to 16gb of ram in the future (when prices are better), not sure what else can make this setup even better.
Click to expand...

What memory did you get? The iMac has 4 mermory slots. If I just the the 2x2 that come by default, could I add later another 2x4gb for the remaining slots? Will it run well under this configuration? Also, is it hard to change the memory? Do I have to open it up? Does it void the warranty?

Will you replace the optical drive or the hdd?

Also, does anyone know whether 2 SSDs in raid perform better than just one SSD? And by how much? Is it worthed?

Thanks!
 
J

jvalente

macrumors member
May 22, 2009
76
0
Sydney, Australia
mariuscmorar said:
Also, does anyone know whether 2 SSDs in raid perform better than just one SSD? And by how much? Is it worthed?
Click to expand...

I'd also like to know this, because I thought that RAID was a way of speeding up the read and write times for two spinning HDDs by striping data over both drives, meaning the heads didn't have to travel as far. If that's the case, RAID is completely redundant on SSD's.

Someone explain?
 
300D

300D

macrumors 65816
May 2, 2009
1,284
0
Tulsa
bmstrong said:
All Mac's should come with SSD's standard.
Click to expand...
Not in a multimedia machine. The only way an SSD option would work is an add-on that doesn't replace anything, which is how its done in the Xserve.

I'm surprised HD manufacturers aren't offering a ~1TB hard drive with an SSD integrated into the drive's controller board.

The HD is so yesterday.
Click to expand...
And its the next 5-10 years too.

Unless you don't mind paying $3500 for an equivalent 1TB SSD, hard drives are not going anywhere for the next few years.
 
C

Cockroach

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2006
267
15
London, UK
jvalente said:
I'd also like to know this, because I thought that RAID was a way of speeding up the read and write times for two spinning HDDs by striping data over both drives, meaning the heads didn't have to travel as far. If that's the case, RAID is completely redundant on SSD's.

Someone explain?
Click to expand...

If a spinning disk drive is capable of X MB/s read Y MB/s write, using two in parallel will give you 2X MB/s read and 2Y MB/s write. The same is true with SSDs, it's just that X and Y are higher values to begin with.
 
PsyD4Me

PsyD4Me

macrumors 6502a
Mar 11, 2009
778
0
under your bed
300D said:
Not in a multimedia machine. The only way an SSD option would work is an add-on that doesn't replace anything, which is how its done in the Xserve.

I'm surprised HD manufacturers aren't offering a ~1TB hard drive with an SSD integrated into the drive's controller board.


And its the next 5-10 years too.

Unless you don't mind paying $3500 for an equivalent 1TB SSD, hard drives are not going anywhere for the next few years.
Click to expand...

so true, buying an Imac as a professional workhorse and limiting yourself to 128gb kinda defeats the purpose, i guess you could fit a 256gb one as well but the price is steep.
 
M

macchiato2009

macrumors 65816
Aug 14, 2009
1,258
1
SSDs don't have the pins on the back to connect with temperature cable like regular HDD

how did you guys manage to install the SSD then ?

when the wire is not connected, fans are going crazy...

temperature control over the HDD cannot be turned off by software that's why apple used the cable...
 
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